


Decided

by in_paper_dreams



Category: One Direction (Band), niall horan - Fandom
Genre: Complete, F/M, Niall Horan - Freeform, Niall Horan imagine, Niall Horan x Reader - Freeform, One Direction Angst, One Direction Fanfic, One Direction Fanfiction, One Direction Imagine, One Direction Imagines, One Direction One Shot, One Direction Preferences, One Direction drabble, One Direction x Reader, niall horan angst, niall horan concept, niall horan concepts, niall horan drabble, niall horan drabbles, niall horan fan fic, niall horan fan fiction, niall horan fan fictions, niall horan fanfic, niall horan fanfics, niall horan fanfiction, niall horan fanfictions, niall horan fluff, niall horan imagines, niall horan one shot, niall horan oneshot, niall horan preference, niall horan preferences, one direction - Freeform, one direction concept, one direction concepts, one direction drabbles, one direction fan fic, one direction fan fiction, one direction fan fictions, one direction fanfics, one direction fanfictions, one direction fluff, one direction oneshot - Freeform, one direction preference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 20:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15893190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_paper_dreams/pseuds/in_paper_dreams
Summary: Niall realizes he can’t ignore his feelings anymore.[COMPLETED]





	1. Chapter 1

Niall is completely and utterly fucked. That much is true.

Completely.

Utterly.

 _Fucked_.

He’s looking at her across the bar, that coy smile on her face. She’s laughing at something some tool is saying to her and he can’t help the jealousy roaring through his veins.

Tonight just might be the night he gives in.

This thought makes him immediately order and down  _another_  shot, as if the alcohol can push his thoughts and feelings down with it.

He thought he had it all under control. He’s been able to ignore these feelings for the last two months. But it’s something about tonight. Something about the way she smiled at him when he arrived. The way she hugged him, the way she smelled, the way her hand lingered just a little too long on his arm after she pulled back.

He’s fucked.

Utterly and completely  _fucked_.

Tonight was different. Just like it was two months ago when she stumbled into the studio, bright smile on her face, Starbucks drinks for them all in hand. He was drawn to her from the start. She just  _felt_  different.

So he naturally kind of ignored her, kept her at a distance. He just wasn’t good with women and to be honest, something about her had him spooked.

She tried; he’ll give her credit, the stubborn little minx. She had become good friends with Julian’s girlfriend Rachel through some exercise group. This meant she was constantly around. She was always friendly with him, no matter how cool he was with her. He was never rude; he just didn’t allow her to engage him like she would try with everyone she met. There were a million reasons as to why he kept her at a distance. Number one being he didn’t want to get hurt.

Though those reasons were hard to recall as he watched her continue to interact with this tool. Alcohol, jealousy, and a few other emotions he’d rather not name at the moment are burning through his body. He might have partaken in the spirits a little too heavily, but Christ Almighty, does she  _know_  what that dress is  _doing_  to him? To  _everyone else_?

He watches the man reach up and brush hair out of Y/N’s face and that does it. The slight change in her expression is enough to have Niall ready to slam his glass down on the bar top and storm over.

Only Julian intercepts him before he can get there, “Oh no you don’t. Stop right there,” a firm hand on the shoulder has Niall stopping in his tracks.

“Now look, I haven’t said anything because I know how you are. I know you like your space and you need to come to terms with things in your own time. But this? This is not the way to go about it,”

Niall shrugs him off, “Julian, don’t. Okay, jus’… don’t,”

Julian smirks, “What? Don’t call you out on the fact that you’re annoyed some dude is grabbing up on your woman?”

“ _Yes_. Wait,  _no_. She’s not–  _she_  doesn’t–  _I_  don’t – Oh fuck off, Julian,” Niall huffs, rolling his eyes at his producer’s shit eating grin. It takes that moment, as brief as it is, for Niall to lose track of where Y/N is. Niall glances around fervently, attempting to spot her again. Upon failure, he then turns to glare at his friend, only to be met with the vision of another shot glass in front of his face. Julian bears that same stupid smirk.  _Idiot_.

Irritation isn’t a new emotion burning through Niall’s body, but this time it’s directed at his friend. Before Niall can say anything, however, Y/N walks over looking flustered. Both men turn to look at her, concern on their faces. She waves them both off, instead grabbing the shot glass from Julian and downing it without so much of a grimace.

 _Atta girl_ , Niall thinks with a smirk.

“Good Lord, this place is a fuckboy city tonight. Does my dress just  _scream_  ‘I have daddy issues, let me take them out on you’ or something?” she groans, tugging at the hem.

Niall chokes on a laugh at that, shaking his head, “Absolutely not, love, yeh look smashing,”

Y/N pins Niall with a glare, ignoring the out of character comment, much to Niall’s dismay and relief, “Yeah, that’s  _exactly_ what they thought too, Niall, that I looked like something  _they_  could be smashing!”

Niall outwardly laughs along with Julian at this one, trying to ignore the filthy images popping up in his head at the suggestion.

She rolls her eyes at their laughter, reaching into her clutch. “I’m calling an Uber and getting out of here. I’ll see both of you tomorrow though, yeah?”

She leans forward, giving Julian a kiss farewell on the cheek. Niall pretends to not notice not only the hint of jealousy, but also the flicker of hope at receiving his own as Julian frowns, “What? No. You aren’t leaving yet and you  _certainly_  aren’t taking an Uber home alone. Let me just grab the missus first and –”

“I’ll take ‘er,” Niall interjects, surprising everyone, including himself. The look of shock and confusion on Y/N’s face stings more than he’d like to admit.

_Damn, had he really been that unfriendly?_

“Dude, are you sure…?” Julian says, giving him a questioning look.

Niall nods, glancing at Y/N instead, “Yeah, I’m sure. ‘M not really feeling it tonight. ‘sides, he’s right. Yeh can’t go on leaving a place like this all by yerself, love. ‘S dangerous,”

Y/N chews on her lip, and for a dreadful moment, Niall thinks she’s going to turn down his offer. How embarrassing would  _that_  be? Julian would never let it go; the time Y/N took an Uber home because she’d rather do  _that_  than ride in a car with Niall. He’d die from mortification.

Thankfully, she nods and Niall lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. She still looks uncertain though, glancing back at Julian before speaking to Niall again, “Are you sure you’re sure though? I don’t want to be an inconvenience…”

Niall waves her off, already signaling the bartender to run his tab. He signs the paper quickly after it’s delivery, pocketing his card before looking at her, “Never an inconvenience. I’d be happy to help,”

Y/N breaks into a full-blown smile at that and Niall feels his heart pick up a little at the sight. He can’t blame the alcohol for this.

He steps aside and calls his driver to let him know the change of plans. Upon receiving confirmation that his car is being pulled around back, he makes his way to Y/N, lightly brushing his hand across her back so he can let her know it’s time to leave.

That was a mistake. Though, surely he can’t be the only one buzzing from such a simple touch. They say their goodbyes, and Niall leads her to the exit, hand still resting across her spine. Any excuse to keep touching her. They’re able to avoid the paparazzi as they get to his car, thankfully, and Niall opens the rear passenger door for her.  She shoots him another smile as she climbs in and it has Niall decided. No more keeping her at bay. He’s spent too much time keeping her out, when all he wants to do is let her in.

He might not confess his feelings tonight, but he sure as hell is going to do whatever it takes to get her to look at him like that more often. It’s a good place to start.

Maybe then he’ll let her know how he feels.

But one thing’s for sure.  

Tomorrow, he’s going to be the one bringing Starbucks.


	2. Chapter 2

Niall always liked to believe he had a level head on his shoulders. He wasn’t one to go and lose the plot whenever something happened. Generally, he could stay very calm and collected in any given situation. Years in the spotlight had helped him hone that skill, as really, there wasn’t much of an option.

And yet here he was, pacing outside of the recording studio with Starbucks in his sweaty hand, second-guessing everything.

Maybe this was too much, too forward.

No, it was  _coffee_ , nothing forward about that.

Right?

Squaring his shoulders, Niall walked into the studio. Too late to go back now. Not like he was going to let these drinks go to waste. Trying to ignore the way the drink holder shook in his hands, Niall made his way down the hallway, pulling open the door to the recording room.

Inside, he only saw Julian and Rachel.

Y/N was nowhere to be found.

Julian looked up, a big smile on his face, “Well good morning, sunshine! Ooh, come bearing gifts, do you?”

Niall nodded slowly, grabbing the cup designated for Julian and passing it to him, shortly doing the same for Rachel. It didn’t skip Niall’s notice how both Julian and his girlfriend glanced down at the untouched third cup.

Niall could feel the blush creeping up his neck.

A shit-eating grin broke out on Julian’s face and as he opened his mouth to speak, Rachel reached out and gave her boyfriend a smack on the chest, shooting Niall a sympathetic smile.

Well, this was thoroughly embarrassing.

Clearing his throat, ignoring the elephant in the room that was the untouched Starbucks cup, Niall made his way over to look at the guitars he had stowed there. While he knew each and every one by heart, every divot, every scratch, they’d never been more interesting than this moment.

“I was thinkin’ we could work on some chord progressions ‘ve had stuck in me head,” he stated flatly, pulling one his favorites off the rack.

At receiving nothing but silence in response, Niall turned to see Rachel and Julian just staring at him. Rachel’s eyes flitted from Niall to Julian to the Starbucks cup a few times before she opened her mouth to speak.

Niall cut her off with a shake of his head, “Don’t. ‘S nothin’. ‘S a coffee is all. ‘S nothin’. Can we get to work, yeah?”

Rachel glanced at Julian, who shrugged, and spun back around to face the recording booth, “Whatever you say, boss man,”

Niall huffed, messing his hair about before taking a seat with the guitar on his lap.

This was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

Not even two hours later, Niall felt like he was going to die. Nothing was coming together, that stupid Starbucks cup was taunting him, and he was dying to eat something.

“Tha’s it. I give up. Can we take a break, yeah? ‘M starvin’,” Niall stated, covering his eyes.

Julian gave a thoughtful nod, spinning in his chair a few times, “What’re ya feeling? There’s that new Brazilian place you were talking about last week, huh babe?” he asked, pulling Rachel into his lap.

She squealed, letting out a laugh and Niall couldn’t help but smile at the two. It was nice to see his buddy so happy.

The sound of the door opening had them all turning to look towards the entrance. In breezed Y/N, a big smile on her face.

The untouched Starbucks cup was mocking him from the trashcan, he was sure of it.

“Hi guys,” she sung, giving a slight wave. “How’s the masterpiece coming along today?” she asked, plopping down on the couch next to Niall.

He gave a non-committal shrug, not seeing the slight frown develop on Y/N’s face at his lack of response. What had happened to the friendlier Niall from last night?

“It’s going. We were actually just about to break for lunch,” Julian stated, rolling his eyes at his buddy who just couldn’t seem to get out of his own way.

“Oh! Excellent! I’m absolutely starving,” Y/N stated, rubbing her belly.

Niall smirked to himself, glancing at the girl for the first time since she entered. She looked back at him with a fond smile and he could feel the blush creep up his cheeks again.

 _Fuck_.

“Actually, Jules and I were just about to meet my mom for lunch. But Niall was just saying how starving he was as well, so I’m sure he’d love to grab a bite with you,” Rachel smiled, staring at Niall pointedly.

His head whipped up at the comment and it took all the self-control he had to not openly gape at her.  _Rotten traitor_.

Y/N looked at Niall happily, waving to Julian and Rachel as they made their way out. Julian gave his shoulder a clap and a squeeze, accompanied by a smirk.  _Smug bastard_.

They deserved each other, really.

“So… where to?” She asked, slipping her purse up her arm. Niall did a double take, not really expecting her to take up the offer. “Well?” she smiled, “You’re not gonna just let me waste away to nothing are you?”

He barked a laugh at that, pulling his keys out of his pocket and twirled them on his finger, “Course not. Anywhere in particular you wanna go?”

She shrugged, giving him a small smile, “Could go for some sushi, if I’m honest,”

He nodded, opening the door for her, “Sushi it is,”

She gave his arm a squeeze as she passed, shooting him a bright smile.

He really needed to get it together if he wanted to make it through this lunch without embarrassing himself.

 

* * *

 

The drive over was relatively quiet, Niall being able to use the navigation of LA traffic as an excuse for his lack of commentary along with sunglasses to hide behind. Though, it seemed Y/N was unphased by his silence. She spoke plenty for the two of them, not seeming to mind how he simply nodded in reply every now and again.

Once they were sat at a table, however, it was a different story. He had nowhere to hide once she was sat across from him.

After ordering their drinks, Niall focused on his menu, trying to figure out exactly what to order. Tuna roll was always a good option. Then again, so was anything with crab. Maybe he’d have to get a few…

“I texted you, ya know,” Y/N said, not glancing up from her menu.

  
Niall blanched, glancing up at her slowly as he felt his cheeks heat. She was still looking at her menu.

Well then, no way around this, it seemed.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about tha’. Saw it this mornin’ as I grabbed us Starbucks and thought I’d jus’ see yeh at the studio but I got sidetracked once I got there and–“

She looked up at him frowning, cutting him off quickly, “Grabbed us Starbucks?”

He rubbed his chin, feeling even more embarrassed. He hadn’t meant to tell her that, “Uh… yeah. For you, me, Jules, and Rach… I didn’t mean to ignore yeh, just thought I’d see yeh once I got the–“

“You know my Starbucks order?” She asked, cutting him off again as she closed her menu. This was becoming more embarrassing by the minute.

He stared at her, having no idea how to respond to that. How could he answer it without sounding like a total creep? She tapped her chin with her pointer finger, pinning him with her gaze. He shuffled silently, feeling uncomfortable, glancing down at his menu a few times, her gaze never breaking from his face.

Thankfully, the server came back with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. This, Niall could do. After they each picked two rolls off the menu, it seemed like the tension had dissipated some.

Y/N stared down at her water, swirling her straw around in her glass. Niall tapped the table a few times, shuffling his feet. It shouldn’t be this hard.

“I didn’t think you much liked me,” she stated bluntly, looking up from her glass.

Niall did a double take, frowning as he turned his face to look at hers. She shrugged, biting her lip before speaking again, “You don’t talk to me much and even when you do, it’s because we’re in a group of people. You never really engage  _me_. Rach kept saying you were just shy, but I really thought you just didn’t like me. But then last night, when you brought me home… I thought maybe,  _maybe_  she was right. But then you basically ignored my text so…”

She trailed off, going back to stirring her water again. He sighed, rubbing his face. How was he going to explain himself out of  _this_? Damn Julian and Rachel for their meddling ways. If they had just come to lunch with them…

Then again, that was the entire problem here, wasn’t it? He didn’t have the balls to just talk to this girl like the normal person she was. He was an international superstar, for Christ’s sake. And while he hated to think of himself in that way, he’d use whatever he had to give himself some courage here.

“But you know my Starbucks order…” she muttered, looking up at him with a frown on her face. “You never talk to me, but you know how I like my coffee. And I know you didn’t ask Rachel, because  _she_  doesn’t even know it. And if she doesn’t know it, Julian sure the hell doesn’t,”

He shrugs, giving her a small smile, “I pay attention, love. ‘S not very hard to do,”

He’d be lying if he said the way her cheeks flushed at the pet name didn’t set his heart racing. Maybe he  _could_  do this…

“Sorry if ‘ve been unfriendly. Don’ mean to be. Jus’ not good at this kinda thing…” he said, messing this his hair a bit.

She tipped her head to the side while looking at him, furrowing her brows, “Good at what? Having lunch?”

He laughed outright at that, shaking his head, “We both know I’m fine with that… Jus’ meant ‘m not very good with girls. You’re a bit intimidating, if yeh didn’t already know,”

She choked on her water, gasping into her hand. After catching her breath, she looked at him in amusement, “Me?  _Intimidating_? That’s rich coming from you, Mr. Popstar Phenomenon,”

He laughed, rolling his eyes at her, “’S’nothing really special about me, love,” He couldn’t resist throwing the name in again and was pleased to see the tint return to her cheeks, “Jus’ lucky is all. No different than you or anyone else,”

She laughed, leaning back in her chair, “Yeah except for the extra ten zeros in your bank account. Must be so hard, being you,”

He chuckled, flicking his straw wrapper at her. Once he stopped thinking about it so much, it was really becoming a lot easier to talk to her. Sure she was still intimidating as hell, but he was holding his own quite nicely.

Their food arrived and they ate quietly, though this time it was more of a comfortable silence than anything, punctuated with a few random thoughts and comments here and there. Y/N kept insisting he try some of hers and he couldn’t help the way his cheeks flamed as she fed him with her chopsticks.

After their waiter came and collected their plates, boxing what was left of Y/N’s (which was half of each roll and she made Niall promise he’d finish them), Niall was quick to grab the check as Y/N reached out for it.

“How much is mine?” she asked, fiddling with her purse.

He scoffed, pinning her with a look, “Please. As if I’m letting you pay,”

She frowned, reaching for the check again. Niall was quicker, though, and simply held it further away. Her frown deepened and, had the circumstances been different, it  _would_  have bothered him.

She protested continuously, even after his card had been swiped and the paper had been signed. After he gave her a bored look, she huffed, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

They walked out of the restaurant, Niall being sure to open the door for her to the exit, as well as the car when they reached it. Once he climbed into the driver’s seat, he threw his sunglass on before noticing how she was smirking at him, “Wha’?”

She shrugged, buckling her seatbelt, “Oh. Nothing… just  _technically_ , we just went on a date,”

He stared at her, hands frozen on his own seatbelt. She was smiling as she said it. Did that mean she  _wanted_  it to be a date? He  _had_  paid…  _and_  driven…  _and_  opened the door for her…

She smirked, giving his arm a slight push, “Buckle up there, Popstar. We have places to go,”

He shook his head, laughing to himself as he did just that. The drive was silent again, the only sounds being Y/N humming along to the radio.

He really ought to say something. Did they really just go on a date? Is that how she was thinking of it? Did she  _want_  it to be a date?

He parked next to Julian’s car, feeling both grateful and resentful at the same time of their return, still figuring out what to say to Y/N as they walked into the building.

They got to the recording room door and just as Niall reached around her to open it, she put her hand on it to stop him. Frowning at her, she turned to look at him, a glint in her eye, “Just so we’re clear, a text or call after a date is usually expected. Three day max though, not very nice to keep a girl waiting. And since you have my number now, you really have no excuse,”

She winked at him and opened the door, leaving him speechless as she breezed inside.

There was no way in  _hell_  he was waiting three days.


	3. Chapter 3

Niall had a  _good_  feeling about tonight. **  
**

His outfit was casual, but he was liking the way he looked in it. His hair had cooperated nicely, and overall, he just felt like he had his shit together.

Times like this he could see why girls liked getting ready in a group. It wasn’t often he felt this confident right off the bat. He felt great and it actually would have been nice to have someone to humble brag to. He contemplated FaceTiming Harry for a minute, as if anyone would understand and appreciate this moment, it would have been him. Then again, Harry was always a bit…  _flashier_ and he might have made Niall second guess his choices.

Especially if Harry knew Y/N was going to the party tonight as well.

By this point, it was no secret really to  _any_  of Niall’s close mates that the Irish lad had a quiet affection for the girl. Her name had been slipped into conversation enough times for it to set off warning bells and his friends knew Niall well enough to realize that clearly  _something_  was going on, no matter how much Niall might claim otherwise.

But truthfully, nothing was going on. Sure, Niall had “manned up”, as Julian so eloquently told him, texting Y/N two days following their pseudo sushi date ( _did that even count as a date?_  It was still driving Niall crazy. it didn’t help he had yet to ask her on a real one yet either.) They had exchanged messages frequently in the two weeks since, talking pretty much all day every day.  Niall really couldn’t complain much. It was easy chat. They weren’t having overly flirtatious talks (though Niall would slip in a line or two here and there) but the door had been opened and Niall found it much easier to break the ice through memes and gifs in order to get to know her. And, there was definitely some flirting going on.

A small step, but progress was progress.

Niall wasn’t one to take things for granted either. Ever since they began texting, Niall felt more at ease around her in person. His humor over text flowed easily into real life encounters and Niall was finding himself more and more relaxed around her each day.

It wasn’t exactly a juicy update, but still. It was  _something_. And Niall wasn’t one to turn his nose up at a good opportunity when he saw it, no matter how trivial it may be. As far as Niall was concerned, tonight’s party was an opportunity to make  _something_  of that something.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, a text from Julian letting him know he was outside and ready to pick Niall up. Taking one last look in the mirror and giving his hair a slight ruffle, Niall grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out the door.

Tonight felt like his night. He was going to make the most of it.

 

* * *

 

Four beers and two shots in (thanks,  _Julian_ ) and Niall was feeling really good. He had explained to his friend that he felt like he should make some kind of move when it came to Y/N and Julian had been only all too encouraging, saying some liquid courage would do  _just_  the thing. It dawned on him that maybe he had a little _too much_  liquid courage, but that wasn’t stopping Niall. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this relaxed, this  _good_. Laughing at something a buddy of his said, Niall didn’t even notice her pop up next to him, at first. Her hand squeezed his bicep and she muttered a soft “ _hey, you,_ ” making him jump, before she turned and smiled brightly at the others in the kitchen.

Niall couldn’t help but stare at her. The fact that he only just realized she was here attested to just how cocked he was already. He was usually so  _conscious_  of her. It wasn’t that he constantly watched her or anything. It felt more like his body was just always painfully  _aware_  of where she was when she was near. Like her aura simply called to his.

That thought alone made him realize he should slow down with the drinks.  _Her aura called to his?_ What kind of shit was that line of thinking?

And yet, as he caught himself smiling at her laughter, he couldn’t deny that it’s exactly how it felt. Something about her just seemed to speak to him.

And her removing her hand from his bicep was certainly saying something he  _didn’t_  like. Before she could fully slide away, Niall grunted and quickly put his hand over hers.

_And kept it there._

Her head snapped to his, eyebrows furrowed in what could only be confusion. And yet Niall seemed unfazed. He simply winked at her and then turned back to the conversation.

His hand remained on hers, his thumb lightly rubbing across her fingers.

Niall caught the light blush bloom across her cheeks and the way she gave his arm a slight squeeze, causing him to break out in an even bigger grin himself.

Yeah, he  _definitely_  had a good feeling about tonight.

 

* * *

 

“Feeling alright there, sparky?” Y/N asked, plopping down next to him on the couch. Two more hours hand flown by, Y/N never leaving his side except to grab a drink or use the restroom. Not that Niall had given her much of an opportunity to go anywhere. She didn’t know what had gotten into him tonight, but Y/N wasn’t complaining. She was seeing a new side of Niall. A cuddly, soft, touchy feely, endearing side she had only heard about and had yet to see for herself.

She was  _loving_  it. While he had been a bit more flirtatious lately, she was used to having to take the initial lead. Tonight, however, it was  _all_  him.

Slinging his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close to him, Niall snorted, rolling his eyes, “Feelin’ jus’ peachy, love. ‘Ere. Try summa this,” With his other hand, he brought his cup closer to her giving a nod of encouragement for her to take a sip. As Y/N grabbed at the cup, their fingertips brushed and Y/N couldn’t ignore the way her heart jumped.

He hadn’t stopped touching her since she arrived. First, it was the hand holding in the kitchen. Then, it was the way he would put his arm around her shoulder whenever he laughed at something she said. Or how he would put his arm around her back and brush his fingertips against her hip. Wherever they went, he was grabbing her hand to pull her along. Normally, Y’N would have written it off to a crowded room. At least she  _would_  have, if the room had actually  _been_  crowded. But they were able to move with ease and Y/N couldn’t help but chalk his actions up to the fact that maybe he just  _wanted_ to be touching her. Call it wishful thinking, but a girl could certainly dream.

The thought made her shiver with excitement as she took a sip of his drink. Whatever it was in his cup, it was delicious. She turned to tell him just that but stopped short at the way he was intensely staring at her, “Niall?” she questioned, tilting her head to the side.

He stayed silent, moving forward silently and Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded in her ears, a rush of excitement flowing through her veins as his hand reached out towards her. Her eyes fluttered shut as his thumb brushed along her lip gently.

“Sorry, love, had a drop left behind,” he whispered, still as close as ever.

Y/N’s eyes popped open, flushing in embarrassment. Here she was, hoping he would  _finally_  kiss her, and he was simply trying to help her out.  _Idiot_. She knew she should thank him, but found nothing would come out.

He was still giving her that look.

Y/N swallowed, unable to turn away from him or formulate a sentence. His hand reached up, brushing her hair softly back behind her ear. “Never told yeh how pretty yeh look tonight, love. Tha’ red, ‘s a nice color on yeh,”

He winked at her and sat back, taking his cup and another sip as he slung his arm back over the couch.

Y/N huffed, elbowing him in the side as he laughed, “You’re  _so_  annoying,”

He laughed, grabbing her arm to pull his hand into her lap so that he could intertwine their fingers, “Tha’ may be so, but yeh love me anyway, don’ yeh?”

Y/N was saved from responding as Julian came out, yelling their names.

“Niall! Y/N! Beer pong. Kitchen. Now! You two vs me and Rach! Let’s go!”

Niall’s face lit up, grabbing Y/N’s hand and yanking her up from the couch before she could even protest. Laughing as he tripped, Y/N could only  _imagine_  how well this was obviously  _not_ going to go.

 

* * *

 

“Don’ worry, love” Niall teased after he sunk yet  _another_  cup, leaving only one left. “My back can handle carrying tha’ team.” He threw a wink her way and she huffed crossing her arms. The boy could barely walk in a straight line, his eyes were bloodshot and bleary, yet here he was, nailing almost  _every. single. shot_  he had made thus far. Y/N on the other hand, hadn’t even made  _one_  cup yet.

“It’s only cause you’re Irish,” Y/N laughed, hip bumping him as Julian and Rachel got ready to take their shots. The kitchen housed what was left of the party, about 8 different people besides those currently engaged in the game. “Got a genetic advantage over everyone else. Besides, really, I’m doing them a favor. Didn’t wanna crush their hopes by coming in hot right out the gate, ya know?”

Niall scoffed, wrapping his arms around her waist to hug her from behind. Y/N couldn’t help the smile that burst onto her face. Who knew all she needed to do was get Niall good and drunk? She would have fed him shots  _ages_  ago.

Groaning as Julian landed a cup, he rested his forehead on her shoulder. Y/N laughed, reaching up to ruffle his hair, “Stop being a big baby. We’ve only got one cup left. And besides, you’ve been on fire all night. We got this… well, at least,  _you_  do. I hope,”

Rachel’s ball hit the table with a bounce and Niall gently moved Y/N aside so he could grab it. Regaining his posture, Y/N took a step further back so Niall could have some space for his shot. Smirking at the look on concentration on his face, Y/N watched as Niall cocked his arm back and threw. His ball sailed through the air and landed on the table with a bounce to the floor. Ignoring the cheers of his opponents, Niall turned and handed a ball to Y/N for her shot.

Y/N laughed at the regret on his face and pat him on the shoulder. Leave it to him to take a simple game of beer pong so  _seriously_. God forbid they lose, Niall would probably pout all night.

Lining herself up, she drew her arm back, trying to ignore the distraction techniques being ever so maturely executed by the opposing team. Niall muttered words of encouragement behind her, but truthfully that was more distracting than anything. Flicking her wrist, she shot the ball up in the air…

_And straight into the cup._

Y/N stared in shock, not quite able to comprehend that she nailed that shot. It was only when Niall whooped that she screamed, throwing her arms in the air and jumping up and down. Niall cheered even louder, picking her up by the waist and swinging her around. Y/N laughed, hugging him tightly as he spun. Niall himself couldn’t stop laughing. Figures the  _one cup_  she’d nail would be the  _last one_.

Whether it could be blamed on the pride swelling over  her nailing the last cup, the amount of alcohol he had consumed since the start of the evening, or even call it a bold flash of courage, but Niall moved before he could think about what he was doing. As soon as he placed her back on the ground, he surged forward, grabbing both sides of her face and kissing her.

The kitchen exploded with cheers and cat calls, Rachel grabbing Julian’s arm tightly and jumping up and down herself. Niall’s hand went back to cradle Y/N’s neck, deepening the kiss, and Rachel took it as a sign they weren’t breaking apart anytime soon. Ushering everyone out to give them some privacy, Rachel couldn’t keep the smile off of her face.

 _Finally_.

“Hey - but  _wait_  - we get a rebuttal!” Julian cried indignantly.

Smacking his arm, Rachel shoved him towards the kitchen door, “ _You. Shut. Up!_ ”

They broke apart after a few moments, Niall resting his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes and breathed in deep. Hearing a light giggle, he opened his eyes to see Y/N’s sparkling back at him. Biting her lip, she leaned in and whispered, “ _About damn time, Horan_ ,” before she kissed him again.

Niall pulled her tightly to him, smiling into the kiss.

He  _knew_  he had a good feeling about tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

It would have been safe for any outsider to assume that the dish Y/N was currently cleaning had committed some sort of unforgivable crime against the young woman, what with how fast and hard she was washing it. Brow furrowed in concentration, Y/N continued to scrub at the pot as if her life depended on it. If only she could wash away her problems just as easily.

Sighing and throwing the sponge up on the edge of the sink, Y/N turned the pot around, examining it to ensure it met her satisfaction. Once she determined that it was, in fact, clean, Y/N rinsed it off before placing it in the drying rack. While some would throw the non-stick pan in the dishwasher, Y/N wasn’t one to take the chance. Certain things weren’t worth risking. Weren’t worth  _ruining_.

Drying her hands, she looked over at the phone sitting on the counter across the room. Glaring at it, she huffed before trudging over and picking it up. Giving the side button a  _click_ , she frowned at the screen of notifications.

Certain things  _weren’t_  worth risking, but that didn’t guarantee someone wouldn’t try anyway.

It had been three days since the night of the party. Three days since the fateful beer pong game where a certain Irish man had impulsively kissed her. While the gesture was by no means unwanted, it had certainly taken her by surprise. It hadn’t gone any further than the brief makeout in the kitchen, which at the time, Y/N wasn’t thrilled about. Y/N wanted  _more_ , and not just physically.

Blame it on the alcohol, but she had actually allowed herself to hope  _that_  was going to be the moment everything had changed.

She didn’t think it was a secret that she was interested in Niall. Rachel and Julian picked up on it right away. At first, Y/N was convinced that the man didn’t much like her, nevermind return her feelings.

The night he offered to drive her home, however, changed everything.

There on out, she felt she had a better understanding of Niall. He was friendlier; open. It wasn’t much in comparison to what she was used to when getting to know someone, but it was a start. To be honest, she was worried she had pushed it a bit too far with the whole sushi lunch date joke. She understood his penchant for caution. It couldn’t be easy being him and constantly having your life under scrutiny. Niall, however, texted her shortly after their lunch and that was that.

From there, the hope bloomed.

She, of course, knew who he was long before she met him. She didn’t live under a rock, after all. She was a fan, but she never dreamed or even fantasized about being where she was now. She enjoyed his music, with One Direction and even the one solo song he had released thus far.

She had known Rachel for quite some time, and knew about her longtime boyfriend Julian too. Rachel had never mentioned her connections to such famous artists and it wasn’t until Y/N  met Julian in person that it became apparent to her that they lived very different lives. It wasn’t until many, many months later that she had been invited to the studio. Clearly, she had passed some sort of test and was being allowed on the inside.

She hadn’t expected anything to even come of it, knowing Niall would be there for that first visit. She thought she’d be introduced and that would be that. Maybe a run in here and there, nothing but polite greetings, if even that. But she had gotten to know Niall beyond his famous persona. She got to see the pieces of him thousands and thousands of girls dreamed to see. As time went on, the dynamic had changed. Who he was, his status as an international popstar, it was just another side to him. One that she found she often forgot about completely. She felt so fortunate to be able to call him her true and honest friend. Amazed that, to some extent, he thought the same of her.

Well, at least he  _had_.

Groaning as she plopped down onto her couch, she fiddled with the phone, contemplating sending Niall a text herself. It had been three days and she hadn’t heard a peep from him.

Not one single text.

No phone call.

 _Nothing_.

She didn’t even have the ability to stage a run in with him at the studio, as she knew Julian was working with a different artist for the next two weeks.

On top of it, Niall was leaving on Friday for a bit of promo for the next couple weeks.  Y/N’s heart sank as the thought struck her. Maybe Niall was  _purposely_  avoiding her before he left. Let his silence and subsequent time away say what it was he clearly couldn’t say himself.

Tossing her phone to the side, she huffed again. Maybe she had misread everything. Maybe her initial reading of him was correct. Maybe he truly didn’t much like her.

Though people didn’t kiss someone they didn’t like, not the way he kissed her.

Right?

Sighing again, she stood, turning to go into her bedroom to nap the frustration away when she heard it.

Three knocks to her door.

Tilting her head in confusion, she made her way over. She wasn’t expecting company. She hadn’t made any plans with friends and she certainly hadn’t purchased anything that would possibly be delivered at this moment.

Glancing through the peep hole, she swore her heart fell straight into her stomach.

 _It was Niall_.

He was turned to the side, facing away from the door, spinning his keys. Y/N jerked away from the door as if she had been burned.  _Why was he here?_  Rushing to her phone, she unlocked it and checked. Nope. No messages or calls.

Though there was no way she would have missed them. She’d never admit it to anyone, but she had become tired of her heart racing with each and every sound her phone had made. So she, embarrassingly enough, changed Niall’s ringtone and text chime to be something entirely different.

That way if he called or texted her, she would immediately know. Then her heart wouldn’t pick up each time her phone sounded off at her.

Though it had been for nothing, as Niall hadn’t called or texted.

Yet, he was outside her door.

Three more knocks broke her from her reverie, cursing to herself as she rushed back to the door. Glancing at the mirror beside it, she fixed her hair and cursed herself again. Her apartment wasn’t as tidy as she would have liked it to be and this was  _not_  how she wanted to look the first time she saw him since their heated makeout.

Taking a deep breath, she yanked the door open, a smile plastered on her face.

He looked good. And unsure of himself. The smile he gave back seemed a bit tight, forced. She didn’t miss the way his hand came to scratch as his neck, a nervous tick she’d noticed.

Well. This clearly wasn’t good.

Refusing to let the smile drop, she tried to play it cool, “Niall! Hey!” She never had an issue with this before when it came to him. She had come to enjoy seeming to have the upper hand. He always came off a little nervous around her. Initially, she had thought it was fun to rile him up a bit and see that blush she liked so much bloom across his cheeks.

But then he went and kissed her, turning everything upside down.

He didn’t need to know that though. Better for him to think she still felt just as nonchalant and easy around him. It didn’t need to be his business that her stomach was full of butterflies and her palms were sweaty just at the mere sight of him.

“Hey. Sorry to, uh, drop by like this. Probably should’ve called or summat. Jus’ was nearby an’ figured, well. I mean I haven’t seen yeh since, well the party, an’ I jus’…”

It pained her how uncomfortable he was with this. She could already tell where this was going. The realization stung, but better to get it over with now rather than drag it out.

Might as well put herself out of her misery.

“No! No, please. Did… did you wanna come in?” she nodded back into her apartment, moving to the side so he could come in if he chose to.

He bit his lip for a moment before nodding, taking a step inside. She watched him carefully as he looked around, appraising her home. Rubbing her arm self consciously, she shrugged, “S’not much… I didn’t exactly have time to really clean up or anything… Did- did you want something to drink?”

She needed to keep her hands busy. Maybe then he wouldn’t notice the way they were shaking.

He shook his head, clearing his throat, “Uh, no. No, tha’s fine. Thank you. Yeh got a nice place. Very… very you,”

Making her way to the living room, she took a seat and gave Niall a smile, pleased at his reply but hating how…  _awkward_  this whole thing was. “Thanks. You can sit if you want?”

He nodded, taking a seat in the armchair perpendicular to her couch.

The silence was deafening. Y/N toyed with her hands, watching how Niall anxiously bounced his knees.

Okay, this was downright  _horrible_. If he was going to set her down, she found herself wishing he would have just done so over text. She could appreciate the face to face confrontation and how respectable it was, but this was torture. She would have preferred a text. It would have been easier than this.

“Listen… I wanted to talk to yeh. Abou’ the other night,” he started, rubbing his neck again.

Y/N folded her legs underneath herself, grabbing a pillow and holding it in her lap. Anything to anchor herself during this conversation. “Uh… yeah. Of course. Listen, Niall. You really don’t need to do this, it’s- it’s fine,”

His eyes flew to her face, simply blinking at her. She bit her lip and shrugged, picking at nonexistent lint on the pillow, “It’s okay. I get it. We were drunk. It happens,”

She looked down to avoid how intently he was staring at her, his eyes creased in concentration. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as she spoke again, “Really, Niall, it’s fine. We’re good. I… I understand,”

She avoided looking at him, hardly wanting to see the relief that must have passed across his face as she did the hard part for him. It wasn’t until he scoffed that she looked up to meet his eyes. He was shaking his head, his eyes staring at her with a shadow she had never seen before, “No. Yeh  _don’t_. Yeh don’t understand  _at all_ ,” he muttered.

He stood abruptly, turning to look out the window. She waited with bated breath, clutching the pillow in her lap. What did he mean, she didn’t understand? What more was there to understand?

“I’m not… I’m not good with me words. Not when it comes to talkin’ about things. Sortin’ stuff out. No good at tha’. Writing songs, s’easy. Can jus’ write and rewrite until I get it perfect. But jus’ talkin’?” He paused, turning to look at her, “Tha’s hard for meh. Music helps things… flow easier, yeh know?”

She nodded mutely. While she couldn’t directly relate, as she was no musician herself, she could understand what he was saying. She heard his songs. She could feel the meaning behind them. Music spoke for him, the melodies and instruments said the things he didn’t know how to say or couldn’t put into words.

He huffed, staring at her for a moment before slowly making his way over to the couch. Sitting next to her, he bounced his knee again, frowning down at the floor.

Y/N sat in silence, barely daring to breathe. She watched as Niall opened his mouth to say something before closing it again. He turned to look at her, his eyes roaming her face, and all she could do was give him a soft smile. He was here to say something and she was going to let him do so on his terms.

“It wasn’t cause I was drunk,” he stated softly, staring at the pillow in her lap, his ears turning a bit red as he glanced at her. Giving her a bashful smirk, he moved closer, “Well, I mean… tha’ was  _why_  I did it, but it wasn’t why I  _wanted_  to,”

“What- what do you mean?” Y/N breathed, her speech barely above a whisper.

Niall smiled softly, moving closer still, his knee brushing against hers. “Yeh really don’t know, do yeh?”

Not understanding what he was asking, not trusting herself to believe in what she  _hoped_ , Y/N simply shook her head.

Taking a breath, Niall squared his shoulders before looking her directly in the eye, “I didn’t come here to tell yeh that it was a mistake. It wasn’. No’ to me. Wish I hadn’t been quite so smashed when I made me move, but here we are,”

Y/N could hear her heart pounding. There was no way this was happening, that his beautiful, kind man possibly felt the same way she did. Sure, she dreamed, but she never thought…

“I- I know I should’ve called, or at least texted. Jus’- nothing I wrote seemed right. And I didn’t wan’ the first time I asked yeh out to be over the phone so I jus’…” Niall scratched at the back of his neck again. “I know it was impulsive to jus’ show up, but I didn’ wanna chicken out or leave without talking to yeh, without makin’ sure yeh  _knew_ ,”

“Knew what, Niall?” Y/N breathed, hardly believing her ears.

Niall laughed softly, dropping his hand to his lap, “How I feel about yeh. Yeh- yeh really  _don’t_  know?”

Y/N shrugged, “I mean… I had hoped, especially after- well… but I didn’t think-”

She didn’t miss the way his eyes light up at her confession. Her face flushed, biting her lip so she wouldn’t break out in an absurd grin, completely embarrassing herself more than she already had.

He, however, didn’t seem to care, letting his face break out in a bright, cheek to cheek grin. Laughing again, he messed with his hair, “So- so does that mean you’ll go on a proper date with me? If I asked yeh? I know I’ve got shit timing, as ‘m leaving soon but… I mean, when I get back?”

Niall beamed even more as Y/N nodded. She didn’t dare speak. If she had, she was sure she’d burst out squealing with excitement and make a fool out of herself. Or worse, scare him off. Nodding back at her, he smiled, “Great. Okay. Perfect. Uh… okay. I’ll- I’ll text you?”

Y/N stood as Niall got up, “Yeah, that- that would be great, Niall,”

Stopping to smile at her once more, Niall let his gaze rake over her face before giving one last nod. He walked to her door, Y/N following behind him. Opening it and stepping into the hallway, he turned, pausing for a moment before opening his arms to her.

She smiled wide at the gesture, stepping forward and giving him a hug.

This went so much better than she imagined.

Muttering another brief, “I’ll text you,” Niall kissed the side of her head and let go, turning to go down the hallway.

Stepping back into her flat, Y/N shut the door, leaning against in and closing her eyes for a moment before jumping up and down, breaking out into a happy dance. She didn’t care how ridiculous or childish it was. No one was around to see her and besides…

Niall wanted to take her on a  _date_.

Not even fighting the smile breaking across her face, she made her way back to the living room, hardly believing her luck. That couldn’t have gone any better.

Squealing as she flopped down on the couch, Y/N immediately picked up her phone and began texting Rachel. She would die over this new development. And probably never stop saying “I told you so!”. Whatever though, so worth it.

She was so engrossed in her messages to Rachel, who was full on  _losing_  her shit, she almost missed it.

Another three knocks at her door.

Brow furrowed, she made her way back over, looking through the peephole again. Throwing the door open, she gaped at the flushed brunette who was smiling sheepishly at her.

“Actually… I was thinkin’,” Niall grinned. “How about tonight? Around 7?”


End file.
